The Right People Will Take You From Good To Great

MARCIA HEROUX POUNDS COLUMNIST

AutoNation is a good company, but it's not yet a great company, says Mike Maroone, president of the automobile dealership giant.

Maroone was comparing AutoNation to the standards established in the best-selling management book Good to Great.

"I'm a Jim Collins Good-to-Great disciple," he said in his keynote talk last week at the inaugural "Good to Great" awards sponsored by the Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton and regional chambers of commerce.

In his book, Collins looked at public companies that got results and found the common threads. The South Florida awards focused on revenue growth, employee growth in the tri-county area, community contributions, and investment in employee training and development.

Employee training is what makes great companies, says Tom Tworoger, an awards judge who hails from Nova Southeastern University's H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship in Fort Lauderdale. "If employees are well-trained, they're going to offer better service," he says.

In his book, Collins says great companies "first got the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus, and the right people in the right seats -- and then they figured out where to drive it."

Maroone says that a major factor in AutoNation's growth has been recognizing that certain people were not right for the company. "It's not about being great yourself. It's making your team around you even better than what they are," he said.

In its growth to a nearly $20 billion company, AutoNation has moved from a culture of individual entrepreneurs to a team that shares its best practices. Maroone says AutoNation chose processes that worked well in individual stores and tested them in other stores.

One example was the service department that now has a consistent customer handling process through the AutoNation stores, he says.

An emphasis on people and teamwork also was a shared business practice by the three winners of South Florida's "Good to Great."

Christine Madsen who founded InterMedia advertising agency in Fort Lauderdale and winner in the small category, summed it up this way: "It's all about being passionate. We have the right people on the bus and we give back."

Madsen has been president of Fort Lauderdale's Stranahan House. The agency has supported nonprofits including March of Dimes and the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Madsen encourages associates to become involved in the community as well, giving awards to those who go above and beyond.

Boca Raton residential developer The Altman Companies -- winner in the medium-sized business category -- has given back with a foundation to assist 18-year-olds coming out of foster care. CEO Joel Altman took the initiative and funded Kids@Home, which works with former foster children on housing, education and living skills.

Altman said the condominium business also lives by the rule that "we're not going to do it if we can't do it right. Over time that has paid off."

Great companies also confront the brutal facts, according to Collins' book.

Citrix Systems Inc., winner of the large company category, lives up to that principle with its open culture. "We're known for putting the dead pig on the table," or airing any problems or differences, says David Jones, senior vice president for corporate development at Citrix.

The Fort Lauderdale-based technology business, which has 2,700 employees, also has a very clear vision that it communicates to all its employees, Jones says.

And for companies that are great -- or almost great -- passion about the business is key.

Maroone got some chuckles when he ended his keynote address with a sales pitch. "Once you take off the suit and tie, I'm still a car salesman. So if you need a car, call me," he told the chamber audience.

Marcia Heroux Pounds can be reached at mpounds@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6650.